Player with Nazi salute gets light penalty

05 April 2013 05:46

AEK midfielder Giorgos Katidis was handed a relatively light penalty by the Greek football federation on Friday for his controversial Nazi salute after scoring a goal in a league match last month.

The federation's disiplinary committee decided on a five-match ban and a 1,000-euro fine for the 20-year-old player, the lightest possible sanction open to them.

The team was cleared of any responsibility and escaped punishment.

Katidis gave the Nazi salute to fans after scoring the winning goal in a 2-1 Super League win over Veria on March 16, but has since publicly regretted his action.

The federation one day later banned Katidis for life from playing for Greece.

"The action by the player to salute spectators with a Nazi salute defies common sense, profoundly shows disrespect to all the victims of Nazi atrocities and injures the peaceful and deeply human character of football.

"The Greek football federation condemns unequivocally and categorically such actions," an announcement by the federation said at the time.

Katidis is a former Greek Under-19 international captain and was tipped as a future star of the national team.